~ Seasonal fragrance and flavour from my country kitchens in England and France....celebrating local seasonal produce with traditional feasts and festivals, culinary notes, reviews, recipes and musings from home and abroad....whilst preparing family food with flair ~

Brioche, Pancakes and Marmalade March!

Chocolate Marmalade Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding

Today is Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake day; it’s the last day before Lent and a chance to use up all those ingredients such as eggs, milk, sugar and jam that are traditionally not eaten during the Lenten period. Nowadays, we aren’t as strict as our forebears were, although some people are still very strict about what they eat throughout Lent – the trend seems to be that most people will give up ONE ingredient, such as chocolate or sweets, or maybe even wine and beer for Lent, so if you are giving up chocolate, this is your last chance to enjoy it!

In an attempt to use up some luxury brioche bread buns before Lent, and as part of Mackays special challenge called #MackaysMarmaladeMarch, I created a new idea for bread and butter pudding, packed with all sorts of indulgent ingredients such as Mackays Champagne Marmalade, my own home-made Chocolate Clementine Curd, butter, eggs, milk and of course sugar. This luxurious spin on the traditional bread and butter pudding is sublime and I am definitely going to make it again.

Chocolate Marmalade Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding

It may be pancake day today, and I WILL be making some pancakes tonight for tea, some classic pancakes with lemon and sugar (although I have served pancakes with marmalade before), but this is also a fabulous recipe to make for Shrove Tuesday, especially if you plan to give up one of the ingredients I have used in this decadent dessert! If you don’t have any brioche bread to hand, then use another egg/butter enriched bread, such as fruit bread, croissants or even stale sponge cake, which also works well. Any marmalade can be used as well as any chocolate spread, although I have to say that the champagne marmalade and my chocolate orange curd was magical in this pudding.

Chocolate Marmalade Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding

This makes a fabulous family pudding and serves up to 8 people, with any leftovers being reheated in the microwave the next day. I have also discovered that you can freeze this too, just allow to defrost for 4 to 5 hours before reheating as before, in the microwave. Chocolate and orange make perfect partners in cooking and baking, as does chocolate and marmalade, so why not give this a recipe a go one evening. That’s all for today, but before I go, Shrove Tuesday would not be complete without pancakes, so I have shared some of my previously published pancake recipes below……including a 5:2 diet pancake recipe and my most recent bacon and banana pancakes. Have a wonderful day and see you soon, Karen

Mackays Champagne Marmalade

Disclaimer: Mackays sent me an assortment of marmalades in order to create a recipe for Mackays Marmalade March; all views and opinions are my own.

A delectable bread and butter pudding made with buttery brioche, chocolate spread and marmalade; this delicious pudding can be prepared beforehand and then just popped in the oven whilst you are eating the main course. It reheats well in the microwave and is wonderful when served with fresh pouring cream.

Ingredients

6 small brioche buns (or 8 to 10 slices of brioche bread)

softened butter to spread

6 teaspoons marmalade (I used Mackays Champagne Marmalade)

6 teaspoons chocolate spread (I used home made chocolate orange curd)

3 large eggs, beaten

50g caster sugar

450mls full cream milk

extra sugar for sprinkling

cocoa or grated chocolate for garnish

Note

A delectable bread and butter pudding made with buttery brioche, chocolate spread and marmalade; this delicious pudding can be prepared beforehand and then just popped in the oven whilst you are eating the main course. It reheats well in the microwave and is wonderful when served with fresh pouring cream. I used Mackays Champagne Marmalade in this pudding for an extra special taste, as well as my own home-made Chocolate Clementine Curd.

Directions

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and butter a glass baking dish.

Step 2

Cut the brioche buns in half and spread with butter. Then add the chocolate spread on on half of buttered bun and the marmalade on the other half. sandwich them together and arrange in the buttered baking dish.

Step 3

Whisk the sugar into the beaten eggs and then add the milk. Whisk again and then pour the custard over the brioche buns, pushing the buns down with the back of a spoon so the liquid covers most of them.

Step 4

Leave to soak for up to 1 hour and then bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a pre-heated oven or until the pudding has puffed up and the egg custard mixture has set.

Step 5

Sprinkle with sugar and cocoa or grated chocolate to serve. Serve with pouring cream.

I received a Churchill china Penzance dinnerware service for free, in order to share and showcase the china with my readers as part of my sponsored collaboration with Churchill China. I was not asked to write a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is totally going in my folder for recipes I use when self catering in France. Usually I make toasted brioche ‘sandwiches’ with nutella for a breakfast treat. Wait to see the faces when I dish this one up!

I like the traditional bread and butter pudding and have so far not been convinced of trying any other versions, that is until I saw your brioche pudding. It must have something to do with the delicious sounding champagne marmalade and chocolate that is changing my old ways!

Marmalade March? Love it Karen. I think you should make that one official. I was listening to someone on the radio the other day saying hot Lent wasn’t and shouldn’t be about giving things up to improve things for oneself, it should be about doing something extra to help improve other’s lives. Quite liked that as an idea.

After years of thinking I didn’t like it, I love a good bread and butter pudding and how versatile a dish it can be when you use different breads and flavours. I was just perusing pics of a white chocolate one I made ages ago but not blogged yet – better get my skates on before comfort food season is through!

Karen, this looks scrummy! And I recently made (and just posted) some wonderful Tangerine Marmalade that will be perfect for this recipe. I like the fact that this dessert can be frozen, then thawed and reheated later.

Oh yummy Karen! When we lived in France I quite often used to use up stale brioche, croissants or pain au chocolate in bread & butter puds, sometimes with a bit of naughty choc and/or banana. Now we rarely seem to buy such delicacies so don’t have any to use up Love your idea of using marmalade….and that heavenly choc orange curd too!

Meet Karen

Bienvenue! I'm Karen; it’s lovely to see you here. I share my time between beautiful North Yorkshire and SW France. I am a freelance writer and recipe developer with a passion for art, travel, books, photography, seasonal food and especially cheese! Please do get in contact with me if you have any questions about my work or commissioning me. Read More…